The late U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka was remembered Saturday not only as a national political figure but as a devoted father, a man of musical talent and a person of deep spirituality.

Hundreds of friends, family members and elected officials attended the last public memorial service for the senator, held in historic Kawaiaha‘o Church, where he was a lifelong member and choir director for 17 years. It is also where his older brother, the late Rev. Abraham Akaka, was kahu for 27 years.

Daniel Kahikina Akaka, who died April 6 at age 93 at a St. Francis care facility following months of hospitalization, retired five years ago from a political career in Washington, D.C., that spanned more than three decades in both houses of Congress.

After lying in state in the Capitol rotunda for 24 hours, his casket, draped with an American flag, was brought to the church for viewing by a long line of people who said their last goodbyes.

As recorded patriotic music played, photos from his life appeared in a slide show and a large portrait of a smiling Akaka stood amid a rainbow of bouquets and wreaths.

Gov. David Ige was there, as were members of Hawaii’s congressional delegation, former governors, mayors and other government officials, many of whom described the senator in a memorial service at the rotunda Friday night as a model of kindness and the embodiment of aloha.

Former Gov. George Ariyoshi delivered the eulogy Saturday, saying the educator he once urged to enter politics ended up working tirelessly for the people of Hawaii while remaining true to his loving and generous nature.

The 92-year-old former governor recalled that some in the Democratic Party didn’t think Akaka was the right person for the job, that he wasn’t outgoing enough or didn’t speak eloquently enough.

“However, he could express his ideas well and he got elected,” Ariyoshi said. “He became a truly outstanding national leader because he knew Hawaii, he knew its people and he worked hard for them.”

Ariyoshi said it didn’t take long for the warm and affectionate Akaka to acquire plenty of friends and allies in Washington.

“I don’t know anyone who went to Congress and had as many friends as Dan Akaka had,” he said.

One of them was the late Daniel K. Inouye, and Ariyoshi said Akaka was at his best when he teamed up with the senior senator from Hawaii.

“Dan (Inouye) was an outstanding senator, very strong. But I say to you that he could not have done it by himself. The assistance he got from the other senator was very important,” Ariyoshi said, adding that “if he were alive, he would be here to thank Dan Akaka for what he has done for us.”

Inouye’s widow, Irene Hirano Inouye, issued a statement on the occasion of the service, saying in part:

“Dan (Inouye) had tremendous respect and admiration for his partner in the Senate. He would often remark, ‘When you open a dictionary, next to the word ‘aloha’ should be a picture of Dan Akaka.’ They worked in different ways to provide for Hawaii and build a better future. No matter the time, or situation, Sen. Akaka always shared kindness, and that is what I will miss the most. Let us remember his commitment to kindness and carry on his work, with aloha.”

Family bonds

During Saturday’s two-hour “celebration of life,” members of the Akaka family offered up some thoughts and stories about the late senator.

Akaka’s eldest son, Danny Akaka Jr., said his father was very spiritual and held the belief that everything is connected to God.

“In this connection you respect all things — the people, the places you visit, the food you eat, the water you drink. Everything he had great respect for,” he said. “He loved the Hawaiian people and he loved everyone.”

Akaka said his father was a band teacher and choir director who made music a large part of the household, whether it was playing an instrument or singing. He and his siblings are carrying on his legacy by making music an integral part of their lives, he said.

The man also was a great storyteller, according to his son, who said his father would recount how, as a young man, he helped sail a double-masted schooner to Micronesia.

“He shared with us many, many stories of that voyage and journey, the great storms that they endured. But Dad, being very strong in his faith, he knew he would be OK,” Akaka said.

David Mattson, the senator’s eldest grandson, said he is proud of his grandfather’s 70 years of service, spanning his time working with civic clubs, being employed as a teacher and school administrator, serving as a U.S. lawmaker and volunteering as a conservationist. Akaka also served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during World War II and entered active service in the Army just after the war ended.

Mattson said he remembered Akaka telling him that shortly after he was elected to the House of Representatives, Akaka’s father told him “to do good for the people. And I think he took those words to heart.” They were the guiding principle for his grandfather’s life’s work, he said.

Even at age 93, Akaka was as sharp as ever, Mattson said.

“One thing about Pa is that he would never tell you your idea was a bad idea or that you should not do it. He would actually lead you to that conclusion and you would figure it out yourself.

Mattson said he and his wife, for example, had an idea for a service project, and when he ran it by the senator, he immediately changed the topic.

“I could read between the lines,” he said, so he reworked the idea and it became a success.

“Although Pa is gone, I know his spirit is still around us. I can see it in the faces of my family. I hear it in the stories that people share whose lives he touched. I can feel it in my heart,” Mattson said.

“The wonderful memories I have of him are like a garden full of wild flowers. This garden is full. This garden is beautiful. And best of all, this garden is still growing.”

On Monday, a private family service will take place at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl, where Akaka will be buried.